


West of Words

by SingerJ2002



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alice By Heart AU, Ben Hargreeves-centric, Canonical Character Death, I'm Bad At Tagging, Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, No Incest, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, no beta we die like ben
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:20:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21652162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingerJ2002/pseuds/SingerJ2002
Summary: Bonnie and Ben Hargreeves were best friends, but once they reach the age of 16 Ben starts to get nervous and feels like he doesn't have much time left. To calm him down they two read their favorite story "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" As the story goes on familiar faces pop up instead of the characters they once knew. As the Academy slowly turns into their own Wonderland life is still going on and they need to learn how to grow up, or it might kill them. Sometimes coming to terms with the mortality of your family is harder than coming to terms with your own.---This is basically an Alice in Wonderland/Alice By Heart AU and all of the Academy Members are different people from Wonderland. Also, I made my oc Alice because I feel like the wonderland characters are much more fun and I wanted to play around with them more! Watch out too because there will be quotes from Vanya's book throughout the whole fic!!
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves & Everyone, Ben Hargreeves & Original Female Character(s), Luther Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	West of Words

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is an AU based on the musical Alice By Heart (which I recommend you listen to on youtube and Spotify because it is absolutely amazing) and each of the characters in TUA will end up taking place of one or two Wonderland Dwellers. I chose to use an OC as Alice so that I could focus on the main 7 and their wonderland counterparts and some quotes from Vanya's book weaved in. This chapter is shorter than the others because it works more like a prologue!! I hope you like it!! (The title of the Fic is from the first song west of words and the 1st chapter is from a lyric in the song!!!)

“In the academy, everyone always paired off. Even though we weren’t allowed to associate with each other, it just happened naturally. Luther was always with Allison, Diego was always with Klaus, I was always with Five, and Bonnie was always with Ben. Sometimes, we would mix too. Klaus would be will Allison or Ben, or Ben and Bonnie would join Five and me, but that was always rare. They stopped joining me after Five left. It got lonely. I remember Bonnie and Ben were always in the Library, reading the same book every few weeks. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland. I think it is a cruel twist of fate that Ben is now stuck in wonderland with Five.”- An Excerpt of Vanya Hargreeves: My Life as Number Seven.

* * *

It was nighttime now. Their father was probably asleep if he even knew what sleep was at all. Six children, a monkey, and what seemed like a young woman were all standing in the courtyard with a statue of a boy in the center. If you get close enough you could see the plaque that read, "Ben Hargreeves-May the darkness within you, find peace in the light". It was complete bullshit that was made up by their father but at least it had some kind of meaning. All of them were looking down. The silence was so thick that even if anyone knew what to say, trying to say it would be like climbing Mt. Everest. They never expected to lose their brother, let alone two of them. Their father was the only one who spoke at the first funeral. He didn't care for those silly emotions and the grief of losing a friend. 

It was Pogo's voice who finally broke the sheet of quiet, asking if anyone else had a speech. Luther was quiet and looking down at his feet as he shook his head. He was right there during the accident and who wouldn't want to forget that moment. Diego was in the same position as Luther, but his jaw was clamped as he stayed by Mom, holding her hand. As the line went down each of the Hargreeves said no, Klaus was weirdly looking off to the side the only time, but that was just Klaus. It was Number 8 who said yes. The small blonde girl cleared her throat as she used her eyes as a makeshift dam to hold back the tears threatening to flood the whole mansion. 

“We were reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland together...we never got to finish it. He was my best friend, so I'd like to finish the last page for him?” She didn't need the answer, no one could say no. “I don't need to book, I know it by heart.” With a deep breath, she started to recite the words that she and her brother read to one another too many times to count. 

“At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face.

`Wake up, Alice dear!' said her sister; `Why, what a long sleep you've had!'

`Oh, I've had such a curious dream!' said Alice, and she told her sister, as well as she could remember them, all these strange adventures of hers that you have just been reading about; and when she had finished, her sister kissed her, and said, ‘It was a curious dream, dear, certainly: but now run in to your tea; it's getting late.' So Alice got up and ran off, thinking while she ran, as well she might, what a wonderful dream it had been.  But her sister sat still just as she left her, leaning her head on her hand, watching the setting sun, and thinking of little Alice and all her wonderful Adventures, till she too began dreaming after a fashion, and this was her dream:--”

* * *

The light of the moon was quickly replaced with sunbeams as the young girl's mind started to flood with memories of the day before. When Ben and Bonnie decided to reread the book once again. Well, when Bonnie decided that they should reread it.

“Bonnie...I don't know why. I just have a bad feeling and I don't know why. And it isn't them either. It's like I am destined to not make it to the end of the next mission…” Ben tried to not look Bonnie in the eyes as he told her his fears. 

She put her own gloved hands on his shoulder “Benny, I would never let that happen, even if I have to bend the laws of physics and logic.” Her own blue eyes matched with Ben's dark ones. Suddenly an amazing idea popped into her head. “Why don't we reread Alice. To get your mind off of everything.”

“How old are you?” Ben couldn't believe his ears, he loved the book, but he wasn't 10 years old anymore. And he was in the middle of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. 

"I am just as old as you are. Maybe I'm a millisecond younger but that doesn't count. Come on, what do we have to lose.” Bonnie begged “It's not like we won't be able to finish it. It isn't that long, we can finish it in a day and I can see that look in your eyes that you want to reread it too"

Ben finally sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine, but You are Alice this time.” The two had huge smiles painted on their faces as Bonnie went to get the book. 

The whole house was bursting with noise. They hear Allison and Klaus fighting again. Apparently, he had stolen one of her skirts and her makeup while he was high and now he can't find it. Diego was yelling nonsense at them as a way to get them to shut up as he was throwing knives at the wall. And Luther was most likely in the greenhouse waiting for Allison or reading something about astrology. 

Ben and Bonnie ignored the others as they raced down the stairs and to the library to start their favorite story. They found a nice chair to sit on and Ben looked at his sister as she held the book in her hands. “Well are you going to start it or not? You're the one who wanted to read it in the first place.”

“I am…” Bonnie trailed off as a bittersweet look fell onto her face. “I just want it to be perfect.” 

Ben bumped shoulders with her and laughed, “It is the same words as always.”

“I know...but words aren't always what we say they mean. There could be a thousand different meanings behind a single period.” 

The smile was back on her face as she opened the book. “Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank…” Within a few lines, they finally met the infamous white rabbit and by the time she finally uttered the words “The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.” Their whole world began to change around them as they went down the hole as if they were Alice and the Rabbit themselves. 

Suddenly familiar faces began to fall with them. Their father was covered in hearts and Diego seemed to be wearing a hat of some sort. Allison was wearing a fancy dress, Klaus was blue or was he wearing a teapot as a hat?, Luther looked like a Gryphon or maybe was he wearing a regal outfit and Vanya was some kind of turtle but maybe there were bird wings too. There could have been Five dressed in a striped uniform but there was so much going on that it was hard to see everything. Of course, it was all happening in their heads but the imagination can be much more revealing than reality. 

Before long, they landed on plush grass in front of a gate but Bonnie was in a blue dress and Ben was now holding a pocket watch and had grown a pair of bunny ears

Bonnie hopped up and twirled around “We made it Benny! I mean Mr. Rabbit.” Ben looked at his sister twirling and couldn’t help but laugh. 

“What are you even doing? I am already late.” Ben the Rabbit checked his watch and showed it to her “See?” 

Just as he started to run off Bonnie grabbed his arm “Can’t we just stay here for a bit. We are the ones telling the story. We can stay still for just a moment and feel the sun on our faces”

“That’s not how stories go, you know that better than anyone else here. They keep moving...And so does the clock.” Ben tried to go ahead but his sister was stubborn “I don’t want to get beheaded and neither do you. Time is chasing us and we need to stay ahead” 

“Can’t we just linger and dream for another minute? Can’t the Mad Queen wait for just a second?” Bonnie wanted to take all the time she could if Ben was right about not being able to finish the next mission.

“I have much to do, Marrianne” Ben held out her a pair of white gloves. “We will meet again soon, you know the story”

Bonnie grabbed the gloves defeatedly, “Are you really doing that Benny? Really?...and of course I know the story”

“Yes, I am doing that. And Adieu Marrianne, I will see you later.” The White Rabbit sped off into the distance as Alice rolled her eyes and made her way down the path, trying to put on the tiny gloves meant for the aforementioned Marrianne.

**Author's Note:**

> AHH i hope you liked it!!! and if there is anything i didn't tag please tell me!! the next chapter should be coming soon!!!


End file.
